


Gathering of Kings

by Varewulf



Series: SE.RA.PH. At Peace [7]
Category: Fate/Extella, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Family Drama, Fluff, Gen, Hakuno/Tamamo, but I'm open to the option, call me, not sponsored by BK, slice of yuri at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-15
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-06-27 18:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15691068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varewulf/pseuds/Varewulf
Summary: Artoria and Artoria Alter take Mordred to Burger King for some family time together.





	Gathering of Kings

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not quite done with the Extella setting yet, but my creative surge has calmed down, so my output is going to be slower again. Developing this idea has taken a while. It's been a while since I first came up with the premise, but actually making it a story took some effort. And time, but that's also in part because it's the longest fic I've written in quite a while. Even then there were a couple of ideas I had to leave behind because I couldn't figure out a good way to fit them into things.
> 
> With Extella Link's localisation slowly approaching, I am increasingly curious and eager to see what that game is going to be like. I've been avoiding spoilers from Japanese fans, so I know next to nothing. Though I expect they'll have changed the spelling of Artoria's name to Altria. Apparently after they spelled it Artoria in Extella, Type-Moon didn't like it, stepped in for Fate/GO's localisation, said that it was going to be Altria, and they wouldn't hear otherwise. So I expect they'll have passed that mandate onto the Extella devs for Link as well. Not something I'm ever going to incorporate in my fics. I can't think of any other example where the official spelling of a character's name has been so universally rejected by the fanbase. Arturia or Artoria seems to be what everyone goes with. They spell it アルトリア. A-ru-to-ri-a. No translator/dubber would think it logical to write that as "Altria" in English. Especially since she's King Arthur. Arthuria would have made more sense.
> 
> Sorry, I didn't mean for that to turn into a rant. Onto the story!
> 
> The bonus side-story is because I wanted to write that scene, but thought it was too short to be its own thing. So I put it in at the end here instead.

The Moon Cell's main purpose was to record and catalogue everything that happened on Earth. At least that was everyone's best guess, as only the Moon Cell itself would know for sure, and communicating with such an alien intelligence was tricky at best. It had been around before the first civilisations rose, and would probably remain after the last ones fell.

Regardless, looking at its creations of various lands, it was clear it had done a good job cataloguing different biomes and climates. And it seemed to be picking what it thought was the most suitable environments for the life it was creating, be it animals, or the NPCs (as they were known among the wizards and Servants). At this point it might be more correct to just call them people.

Just like it had a vast catalogue of Earth's flora, fauna, and climates, the Moon Cell had absorbed everything it could regarding the various people, cultures, and civilisations that had sprung up throughout history. It might have lost everything from before 14 000 years ago, but there was still a wealth of data between then and now. And some of this cultural data was incorporated into the new people that were created.

Of course it was impossible for every idea and concept that had ever been conceived to be manifested on SE.RA.PH., and some of what did make it in might be implemented or combined in ways that had never happened on Earth. But some ideas might show up as near-identical recreations of what had existed on Earth. Such as...

"I would not have dared hope such a wondrous place would show up in this world," Blue Saber Artoria Pendragon exclaimed, her voice tinged with awe.

"It's not that big of a deal," Saber Alter Artoria Pendragon said.

"Do you think he's here?" Saber asked.

"Who?"

"The Burger King. I met him once, you know," Saber said, sounding like a kid talking about meeting Santa.

"What? You did not," Alter scoffed.

"I did! He's a wonderful king, having pledged himself to serving everyone. I would not be surprised if he ended up as a Heroic Spirit," Saber said wistfully. Her eyes were sparkling. "There is no greater king than one dedicated to serving their people."

Mordred sighed. Those two never stopped. Still, he couldn't deny feeling a little excited himself. Not because of where they were going, but because he was going there with the both of them. He had been doubtful when his father had declared that she was going to get his dad to come along for a 'family outing'. Maybe it wasn't very nice of him, but he had come to not expect much of his dad. Yet here they were.

The three of them were dressed to type. Saber in a white long-sleeved shirt, and blue skirt, that made her look a bit like an old-fashioned school teacher. Alter in a black dress with a white underskirt that gave off a goth vibe. And Mordred in a white top, and denim shorts. It was hot enough that he had left his jacket behind, and he had no idea how either of those two tolerated wearing clothes that heavy. He knew that his father at least had some lighter outfits, but she had chosen that warm dress, as if she didn't want to lose to Saber's attire.

"Whatever." Alter heaved a sigh. "Let's just go in." She pushed the door open.

"W-wait," Saber followed after. "I don't actually have any money."

Neither did Mordred. He knew his father had a bit, since she kept going down to the fastfood stalls, though he wasn't sure how she got it. From Nero, perhaps? Yet she didn't seem like the type to willingly pay for all three of them.

"Oh, do not worry about that," Alter said with a smirk. "I have something better." She lifted out a golden card.

"Wait, isn't that...?" Mordred was sure he recognised it.

"Indeed," Alter said, her smirk growing. "An imperial credit card."

"I didn't know you had gotten one of those," Mordred said as they got into line.

"I have not," Alter said. "I took Kishinami's. She's going to pay for everything she's done to me, so she might as well pay for our food too." She seemed extremely self-satisfied with her logic.

Mordred wasn't sure if he was impressed, or embarrassed. His father had a way of picking fights where it wasn't needed, but it wasn't like Hakuno had done anything to defuse the tension there. The woman seemed like she greatly enjoyed teasing Alter. So maybe it was only fair. Maybe.

"You stole it?!" Saber sounded shocked.

"Borrowed," Alter corrected. "She owes me that much, and more."

"But..."

"Besides, didn't you just say a good king is one who serves their people? Well, Kishinami's a king of sorts, and we're people in her country."

Saber gave Alter a dirty look, but she didn't say anything more in protest.

"We're up next, so you had better decide what you want," Alter said, showing them a smug look of victory.

"Fine..." Saber grumbled. "I'll find some way to repay Kishinami later," she said defiantly.

"Do as you wish," Alter said, and stepped forwards to the counter to order.

"Hello, may I-" the woman behind the counter did a double-take as she saw the trio next in line, but to her credit she recovered quickly. "M-may I take your order?" Her name-tag said Katherine.

"You first, son," Alter said to Mordred, though it sounded more like an order, than her being nice.

"Uh... two bacon burgers, large menus, and... a chocolate shake," he said. It wasn't his first time here, so he knew more or less how the ordering worked.

"Instead of soda?" Katherine asked.

"Nah, as an extra," Mordred answered. The woman punched it in.

"And you?" Alter shot Saber a look.

"Ugh... alright. Two big kings, the extra large kind, and a large chips and drink." Saber still didn't seem entirely happy, but her hunger won out.

Alter looked back at the employee. "And I'll start with a large bowl of chips, covered in that spicy cheese sauce."

Katherine hesitated. "Uh... pardon? A... bowl?"

"Yes," Alter said plainly. "A large one. Just fill it up. And I shall require a fork."

The poor woman behind the counter was starting to look nervous. "Um... we... w-we don't really..."

"Figure it out," Alter said, again in the tone of giving an order. "You can charge it all to this card." She handed over the credit card.

"Y-yes, ma'am," Katherine said, accepting the card. Her eyes went wide when she realised what sort of card it was, and looked at the three Sabers again. For a moment it looked like she wanted to say something, but then decided against it.

"We'll be ordering more later, so just keep the tab open," Alter showed a rare smile. "And do not forget the cheese sauce."

"Yes, ma'am..."

As his parents went to find a table, Mordred saw the employee call over someone to help her figure this out. He felt a sting of pity for her. "Um..." He glanced to make sure his father was out of earshot. "Excuse me," he said to get the attention of the now three people at the register. "I'm sorry about my father. Please charge us extra for the trouble. No one is going to mind, I promise." The trio gave him slightly confused looks. He felt a little bad about Hakuno having to pay more for all this, but he felt worse for the poor employees having to deal with Alter's demands. "Please," he repeated. "Consider it fair compensation. You have my guarantee you will not get in trouble for it."

The gods only knew what they thought about this strange kid telling them this stuff, but he got them to agree.

When he got to the table, he found his father casually glaring at his dad, while his dad looked slightly awkward.

"Was there some issue?" Alter asked, looking up at Mordred as he sat down. He took a chair at the end of the table, not wanting to make it seem like he was taking either's side by sitting closer to one of them. There was no telling how things were going to go.

"Oh no, I just made sure they got our order right," Mordred said.

The silence was already awkward. This had been his father's idea, yet _she_ was the one contributing most to the awkwardness. Mordred wasn't entirely sure why she had insisted on this in the first place, especially if she was just going to act like that. Yet he couldn't help feeling a bit happy anyway, just being here with them. Even back when they had fought for the crown, part of Mordred had just... just wanted to do stuff with his dad. Sure, he had expressed it in a really poor way, and maybe contributed to ruining everyone's lives, but in his defence he hadn't exactly been raised in a social environment. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know how to interact with other people.

Not that he could really claim to have learned that much since then, either. Heroic Spirits weren't really summoned for their company. He just had to fight things, and make sure his Master didn't die. None of them he would really count as his friends, though some had been more decent to be around than others. But this place... was bizarre.

It made sense that Servants had been summoned to fight in the Grail war, because that's how that worked. And later to protect the Moon Cell during the invasion of Velber's forces. Considering the strange properties of this world, maybe it even made sense that Servants who survived would stick around, even without Masters. There were other ways to get mana here. But why did it keep summoning new Servants? On the one hand it was quite rare, but on the other it didn't make sense for it to happen at all. Unless the Moon Cell foresaw another conflict, and wanted to gradually up its number of defenders in preparation.

The more immediate problem was that Mordred wasn't very good at small talk. Talking to Altera was fine, talking to Altera's mothers could be an experience, but at least all three knew how to lead a conversation, and conversation with his father was usually short, and to the point. They didn't really talk much if there wasn't anything either needed. But small talk? With his estranged dad? That was a bigger challenge. Yet it was unlikely either of those two were going to break the ice, so it was all up to Mordred.

"So, what have you been up to, dad?" he asked, trying to sound friendly.

"Up to?" Saber looked a little surprised at being asked a question. She took a moment to think. "I've been doing my duty. Nothing else."

"Duty?" Mordred asked without thinking. He didn't actually know anything about what his dad did on SE.RA.PH. For some reason he hadn't thought to ask any of the ones who might know. All he really knew was that she had been around during the Velber war.

"Well..." Saber paused again. "I have been tasked with halting conflict, should it threaten the balance of the realm. I was summoned by the Moon Cell itself, to figure out the cause of the war, and help put an end to it. As a sentinel, you might say." She had a slight smile on her lips.

"Well, that sounds just perfect for you, doesn't it?" Alter cut in. It didn't sound like a compliment.

"I thought it was nice to be summoned as a protector for once," Saber said, giving her counterpart a surly look.

"So you can act all high and mighty?" Alter sounded like she was making an accusation.

Thankfully the call came that their food was ready, so they settled down, and went to pick it up.

It was almost startling how much Alter's demeanour changed when food was on the table. She actually looked happy. Or pleased, at least. The staff had managed to find a big bowl, fill it with chips, and pour that sauce over it. If Mordred didn't know better, he would have said his father looked almost excited. Even Saber seemed to have noticed, as Mordred could see a look of amazement on her face as Alter grabbed her fork, and stuck it in.

Alter paused, maybe sensing that she was being watched. "Aren't you going to eat?" she asked. It sounded like she was half annoyed, half suggesting that she'd eat their food if they didn't. Regardless it seemed like all hostility was gone, for the time being.

Mordred quickly looked to his own food, having no doubt that Alter would take it if she got the chance. He unwrapped the first burger, and had to smile. The amount of bacon they put on top of the burger was delightful.

Things fell silent again, but it was a more natural silence as they all got into eating. It might not be unusual to chat while eating for most people, but in this family food was considered more important than for most. So even Mordred didn't find it odd or awkward that no one said anything.

Until the silence got broken by a booming voice from behind: "Well met, Sabers!"

It was almost directly behind him, so while the two Artorias only needed to look to the side, Mordred had to turn around so he sat sideways in his chair.

A mountain of a man was standing there, with a wide, friendly grin on his face. "Iskandar!" Mordred recognised him immediately. It was kinda hard not to, as the King of Conquerors had a very distinct and unique look. It was safe to say there was no one else quite like him.

"Greetings, Rider," Saber said, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"Rider," was all Alter said. Maybe acknowledging someone's presence counted as high praise coming from her.

"Well, well," Iskandar said, stroking his beard. "I had heard there were now two Kings of Knights in town, but seeing it for myself is truly something else." His grin returned. "Fitting we should all meet in this place for kings!" His amusement sounded genuine.

While he was a terrifying force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, outside of that Iskandar appeared as an affable, good-natured man. Thankfully not someone to carry a grudge, he would happily share drinks with someone he was going to fight the next day, or had fought the day before. He valued strength very highly, but he wasn't one to mistreat the weak either. Not without cause, at least.

With the jeans and plaid shirt he was wearing, he looked more like a lumberjack than a king at the moment. An axe and a toque was all that was missing.

"I didn't know you had come to city, Rider," Saber said.

"Well, you know how it is," Iskandar said. "Being independent is good and all, but at some point you start missing civilisation, and its conveniences. Even if it's not quite the civilisation I'm used to, hahaha!" He was a Top Servant like Jeanne, meaning he had a similar role to Saber's in terms of guarding SE.RA.PH. and the Moon Cell. But considering their ease of getting around, thanks to the access granted to them by the Moon Cell itself, it wasn't like they _needed_ to be in some specific spot to respond to any threats that might occur.

"Is there anything you would like to order, Rider?" Alter suddenly asked. "You may consider it our treat." At first it might seem surprising that she of all people would make such an offer, until you remembered who was actually going to pay the bill.

"That's mighty generous of you, but I am actually on my way out," Iskandar said. "I merely wanted to say hello to such illustrious company. Though maybe I should take the opportunity to get something to go... it would be rude not to, right?"

"Oh, please do," Alter said with a sly smile.

Mordred suppressed the urge to sigh. Maybe his dad had the right idea with regards to finding some way to repay Hakuno. His father certainly seemed to be adding some interest to the payments.

"I have to say, you two are quite alike," Iskandar commented.

"We are not!" both Artorias said in concert, in almost exactly the same voice and tone. Which surprised everyone at the table, themselves included. Saber and Alter even shared a look, before quickly looking back at Iskandar.

Iskandar guffawed. "Hahaha, no need for such hostility." He looked down at Mordred. "I'll stop by tomorrow, kid."

Mordred grinned. "We'll be waiting!"

Iskandar returned the grin. "Good good, excellent!" He looked at the Artorias again. "It's a good son you've got here. I wouldn't mind a kid like that. Well, I really should be off, but it was a pleasure! Farewell!"

"Farewell, Rider," Saber said. Alter just have him a nod. Mordred felt a little embarrassed, and a little proud, at the compliment.

They noticed that Iskandar made a quick stop at the counter to get something before he left. Apparently he still had enough time for that.

"What was that about tomorrow?" Saber asked as Mordred turned back to the table.

"Oh, he's stopping by the palace to help me and Altera out," Mordred replied.

"Help out?" Saber sounded puzzled.

"Oh, right." Mordred had forgotten that she didn't know. "Well... you see..." He pondered the easiest way to explain this. "We're not allowed to ride actual horses when we play knights at the palace, but Altera and I came up with the idea that we could ride Riders instead. So Iskandar will be my mount, and Medusa will be Altera's." It hadn't exactly been a cakewalk to get permission, but once Altera was really set on something, none of her mothers had an easy time turning her down. The easiest part had been getting the Riders to agree.

"Play knights?" Saber still seemed lost.

"Yeah! We ride horses, and clash swords! Though we can't always go out into the fields to play, and we aren't allowed to have horses in the palace, hence our solution with the Riders. Not that it's not fun to just have some swordplay either." Mordred hadn't really ever had any playmates any more than Altera had. So even if their ages didn't exactly match, the two of them had still found a lot of fun in each other's company that way. She could be more mature than she appeared, and he could be more childish than he appeared.

"Pardon? You clash swords? With Altera?" Saber's tone had shifted from confused to apprehensive.

"Uh... yeah?" Mordred wondered if he'd said something he shouldn't.

"It's fine," Alter cut in.

Saber's attention turned to Alter. "You allow this?" she pointedly asked.

"Of course," Alter replied. "Even Kishinami gave her approval. We trust them to conduct themselves safely."

"Swords are not safe," Saber said quite firmly.

"They know how to handle themselves," Alter said casually.

"What if they hurt themselves?" Saber was clearly tensing up.

"Accidents happen. Consider it a valuable lesson." Alter smirked.

"They're just children!"

"Oh, _now_ you care?"

"Stop!" Mordred said suddenly, and louder than intended. Actually he hadn't intended to say anything at all, but the feeling had started building up as he listened to them bicker. He had just wanted them to stop. "Stop it... please..." he said more quietly, feeling embarrassed.

"Ah... sorry..." Saber said, also sounding a bit embarrassed.

"Hmph." Alter huffed, but at least she stopped.

It was time to order the next round, so they all got up. With more food on the table, it felt like the tension eased up again.

Even though there wasn't a lot more that was said, Mordred still felt relieved. There had been some issues, but he was still happy they had done this. It was hard to be sure of what his father's true motives had been, but he still felt like he should thank her later. He had gotten to spend some time with his dad. Sure, it was awkward, but it was a start. It was an attempt at doing something together that didn't involve fighting, and it hadn't been entirely without success. He had a feeling, or maybe it was just a hope, that his dad actually cared.

Though there was also a slight sense of annoyance that he still cared about what his dad thought. Part of him thought it was stupid to still worry about this. Maybe that part was right. Maybe it was stupid to feel happy about something like this. That he still somehow wanted his dad's approval. Plus he had a new father now. Which came with a sense of guilt that maybe that should be enough.

But even with all of that going through his head, he couldn't help feeling a little happy anyway.

* * *

All good things had to eventually come to an end, and soon enough they were done. Mordred and Alter would head back to the palace, while Saber would... go back to whatever she did all day. Maybe she just stood on top of that cliff all the time.

Yet before they left, Artoria Alter had some things she wanted to say.

"Bye, dad," Mordred said.

"Goodbye," Saber said with a faint smile.

"You should come visit occasionally, you know," Alter said. Causing both Saber and Mordred to give her somewhat dumbfounded looks.

"You... would be okay with that?" Saber asked cautiously.

"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't," Alter said. While you could say it was her default to glare at everyone, she felt it especially keenly towards her counterpart. It was amazing, and a little galling, that they were alternate versions of the same person. "He's your son. You should spend some time with him. Play ball, go for a stroll, read him a story, have a sparring match, or something." She had read up on what parents were supposed to do with their children. Just so she could lecture Saber on it, not for her own benefit or anything.

"Uh... father," Mordred said awkwardly, but he fell silent when Alter glanced his way. It looked like he was blushing.

Alter turned her gaze back to Saber. "What are you smiling about?"

"Oh, it's just..." Saber's smile was so earnest it was annoying. "You really care about him, don't you?" she said.

"Huh?! Um... w-well..." Alter suddenly felt rather flustered, and she wasn't sure why. "That's just... because _you_ don't, and... and someone has to pick up the slack!" She didn't like this warm feeling she had gotten, but she found herself unable to force it to go away.

"Father?" Mordred sounded confused.

"Sh-shut up!" Alter wanted this conversation to be over, but she would be damned if she was going to just walk away like some huffy child. She wasn't going to give Saber the satisfaction.

"Alright, I'll be sure to stop by occasionally," Saber said. She was still smiling.

"Good!" If that was settled, then they could go away now.

"You know... you're cuter than I expected," Saber said, making everything worse.

Alter felt like her face was on fire. Well, if that was how it was going to be... she fixed Saber with a steady glare. "Your son calls me daddy," she said, and felt some satisfaction at the shocked look on Saber's face.

Mordred spoke up. "I thought I wasn't allowed to-"

"You are now." Alter cut him off. Maybe she had just opened herself up to a different kind of irritation, but for the moment she basked in her victory over Saber, however tiny it might be.

* * *

_Bonus side-story, late at night:_

Tamamo no Mae was lying in her bed, alone, reading a book. So long as Servants hadn't had their mana depleted in any way, they didn't really need as much sleep as regular people. It was still good for the mind to get some rest, but it wasn't that easy to fall asleep when it was just her. So she usually had a book at hand for the nights her Husband wasn't there.

Suddenly the door to her room opened. Tamamo quickly slammed the book shut, and sat up. There were only two kinds of people who would come into her room at this time of night, and if it was an intruder, they would feel her wrath, devoid of mercy. However, the other kind was...

"Husband?!"

Indeed, a grumpy, tired-looking Hakuno was standing in the doorway. She came into the room, and shoved the door closed behind her. It shut with a smack. Then she shuffled over to the bed, her eyes barely staying open.

"What are you doing here?" Tamamo asked. "I thought tonight wasn't my night? Not that I'm complaining, of course!!" she was quick to add in a chirpy tone. If her Husband had sought her out, maybe she had some sordid motive in mind. The idea gave Tamamo a slight thrill.

"Nero has discovered pizza," Hakuno mumbled as she pulled off her long night shirt, and got into bed without even bothering to ask permission. "I can't sleep in sheets reeking of garlic sauce."

Tamamo was still in slight shock at this turn of events as Hakuno snuggled closer. But she was quick to recover, and lay back down, welcoming her Husband into her embrace.

"Mmm~. You smell nice," Hakuno said sleepily. "Soft..." Within moments she was asleep, dashing Tamamo's hopes of any indecency happening that night.

Still, she was definitely not going to complain about the surprise company. Even if Hakuno hadn't come for naughty reasons, it was still very welcome. Tamamo gently kissed her Husband's forehead, before closing her own eyes. Maybe tomorrow she should start encouraging Nero's eating in bed. It was an awful habit, but if this was the result she would happily take it.

**Author's Note:**

> The original idea was: The two Artorias take Mordred to McDonalds. Then someone pointed out that they'd go to Burger King, which I had to agree with it. And someone else suggested in a comment a while back that maybe Iskandar could get involved, and then I had the idea of Altera and Mordred negotiating that they could ride Riders instead of horses back when I was writing the Babysitter Jeanne story. So those two things ended up slotting together.
> 
> And the "your son calls me daddy" line was something we joked about on Twitter, and I really wanted to include, even if it would be awkward to do so.


End file.
